Course-5 Understanding Disciplines and School Subjects pmd

Strategies to Promote Interdisciplinary Learning
There are several designs for interdisciplinary teaching. Some of these involve
integrating interdisciplinary teaching in a single course, while others tie together a
combination of different courses in a series. Regardless of the format used, integration by
design is an important starting point.  The examples below provide some ideas for different
methods for interdisciplinary teaching.
Promote Buy-In
Student, department, and institutional buy-in for interdisciplinary teaching is an
important first step in developing activities and courses that cross disciplinary divides. At
the institutional level, redesigning courses and curricula to include interdisciplinary teaching
presents an opportunity to increase enrollment was noted as a way to appeal to administrators.
Further, interdisciplinary teaching can broaden the enrollment in courses offered in individual
disciplines, integrating geoscience, engineering, humanities, policy, education, and other
majors. At the student level, interdisciplinary teaching appeals to students interested in
multiple disciplines and who realize the necessity of tackling real-world problems through
an interdisciplinary lens.
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Start Off Small
Small-scale implementations and practices can be a great way to start to incorporate
interdisciplinary teaching into your classroom. While challenges and barriers may exist in
incorporating disciplines outside your area of expertise, these small scale changes can build
bridges between disciplinary divides and equip you to better overcome these challenges.
Small scale changes include:
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Make connections with faculty from other departments, industry, and the
community! Informally talk with them, learn what they do, and draw connections
to your teaching.
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Invite guest speakers to give a presentation. Guest speakers can provide a way
for you and your students learn about topics outside your expertise and speakers
from the community or industry can serve as a model for how what students
are learning in class is applicable to their life and the importance of building a
culture of collaboration to solve problems.
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